After seeing all the fabulous calendar templates and easy pages in the boutique this week, I was inspired! I had purchased a calendar template last year in order to make family Christmas gifts and just never got around to using it. So, off to the boutique I went and purchased Thao's Calendar - Hopeful 2009 templates.

Then, I began the fun!!! In a few hours, I had finished January through May. The hardest part was deciding just which photos to include so everyone gets "equal billing." (Isn't that always the case for moms?) I still need to fill in more birthdays, etc., but I thought I'd give you a sneak peek.

There are so many styles and sizes available so you can definitely find something that appeals to you. In fact, I'm thinking of going back and getting some more to make smaller versions for pocketbooks or work desks.

Here's a link to the May Calendar Page, but they are all posted in my gallery! (Can you tell I'm just a little excited about these?)

kimmy**Only she who attempts the absurd, achieves the impossible.** Product Designer

You done Good Girl! I've only just finished January last night! Since these are for people outside immediate family (I think Naomi's is gonna be a bit different and more personal) I had to make it more generic but knowing my aunts...I doubt that will be a problem!

Hi Kim and Vaughnde ,your calendars are looking great.I was wanting to do one where the width was 11, and the height 8.5.Kim, would these templates turn easily,with the days on the left and the embellishments/photos on the right?I particularly want space to write in and these templates look great for that.
Great work Girls

I love your calendar pages! Yesterday was one of those stormy days where you just want to stay inside so I took advantage and used Amanda Sok's 4x6 vertical calendar template (here) and put together the whole year for a desktop calendar for my dd. I bound the pages at the top with my Bind It All and made a cardboard stand so she can just flip the page each month. The templates just made it so, so easy, and every page looks good (how could they not with SG products??) and coordinated with the others! Now, after seeing yours, I want Thao's 8 1/2 x 11 set too! Oh, the possibilities. . .

Hi Kim and Vaughnde ,your calendars are looking great.I was wanting to do one where the width was 11, and the height 8.5.Kim, would these templates turn easily,with the days on the left and the embellishments/photos on the right?I particularly want space to write in and these templates look great for that.Great work Girls

Hmmm, Bobbie...well you can see that the calendar portion is about 7-1/2 inches wide. If you were to turn the template on its side, you would have to readjust the layout sizes. I am looking at my calendar right now with the rulers view on. The layout itself is about 4 inches high. Thao does include the layouts themselves in separate folders. She also included the psd files to make things very easy for those of us using PS.

You could always think out of the box. Make the calendar as an 8.5x11 to be hung up. Print on just one side of the page. On the opposite page, do a layout of the background paper and place a piece of digital notepaper, or a brush with a numbered list (eg. To Do, Numbers of the days in the month with lines beside them to write on). Catch my drift?

I love your calendar pages! Yesterday was one of those stormy days where you just want to stay inside so I took advantage and used Amanda Sok's 4x6 vertical calendar template (here) and put together the whole year for a desktop calendar for my dd. I bound the pages at the top with my Bind It All and made a cardboard stand so she can just flip the page each month. The templates just made it so, so easy, and every page looks good (how could they not with SG products??) and coordinated with the others! Now, after seeing yours, I want Thao's 8 1/2 x 11 set too! Oh, the possibilities. . .

Yup, I have my eye on those as well!

And, Bobbie, here's another idea. You could go with Amanda's 4x6 calendars... place it on a 11 1/2 x 8 1/2 inch document and just make the unused portion a coordinating paper with places to write your information!

kimmy**Only she who attempts the absurd, achieves the impossible.** Product Designer

Thanks for sharing these. I have been working on the same templates this week and have gotten a little stuck. Yours give me some inspiration. Do you know how your are going to bind these, or will you do clipboards?

I made this year and have started for next year. we have them on our fridge and use them on a daily basis. this is our diary, I don't have one in my bag, it sits on the fridge so that the whole family can see what we are upto, where and when. I LOVE my calendars and you have given some awesome samples and ideas here.

I've been working on ours for 2009, too. It's so much nicer to see my own designs on the fridge than a store-bought one. Works wonders for that scrapping mojo, too - seeing it every time I'm in our kitchen.

In case anyone's looking to get some for gifts, Artscow has a promotion this week till the 20th. $6.99 for the calendar (the two page 8.5X11 size, so 17X11 total), and FREE SHIPPING. You can design both the top and bottom halves.